Are You Ready?

IT'S IMPORTANT TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE DISASTERS and other emergencies. Natural and human-caused disasters can strike suddenly, at any time and anywhere. There are three actions everyone can take that can help make a difference. Check out these links to get started...

Floods

FEMA has published almost 100,000 individual Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). See your map and learn how to read it so you can make informed decisions about protecting your property, both financially and structurally.

Volcanos and Lahars

Mount Rainier... along with its unparalelled beauty comes great risk. Adding a few extra steps to your preparedness plan can help your family cope during a volcanic disaster.

At Mount Rainier, lahars are a greater hazard than other volcanic products such as lava and poisonous gases that have been popularized by TV and film. Lava flows and pyroclastic flows are unlikely to extend more than a few miles beyond the National Park boundaries. What is, and how can you prepare for, a lahar?

DO NOT turn on the gas again if you turned it off; let the gas company do it.

DO NOT use matches, lighters, camp stoves or barbecues, electrical equipment, appliances UNTIL you are sure there are no gas leaks. They may create a spark that could ignite leaking gas and cause an explosion and fire.

DO NOT use camp stoves, barbecues, gas lanterns, and generators indoors. They produce life threatening carbon monoxide - an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas.

DO NOT use your telephone, EXCEPT for a medical or fire emergency. You could tie up the lines needed for emergency response. If the phone doesn't work send someone for help.

DO NOT expect firefighters, police or paramedics to be immediatley available. Emergency response personnel respond to high call volumes during these times. Be prepared to care for yourself and your family for possibly 3-7 days - or longer.

Winter Storms

When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can become a challenge. Extremely cold temperatures often accompany a winter storm, so you may have to cope with power failures and icy roads. Check out these links to help you prepare...

Pierce County ALERT

County Launches Mass Emergency Notification System - Pierce County ALERT is the newest tool for mass emergency notifications in Pierce County. Powered by Everbridge, this new system utilizes the 9-1-1 landline database for emergency notifications and can also use the ‘white pages’ for community alerts to landlines, giving the Department of Emergency Management more options for reaching residents and businesses in the area.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2010 survey on cell phone use in the United States found that 25 percent of the population uses cell phones only – having no home landline phone at all. This fact makes the Pierce County ALERT system even more imperative, as the landline database only reaches 75 percent of the population in any area. Click here to learn more.